-1The Punisher: "Different Gifts"
Part 2
………………………
Rashard Obeda sat in the comfy embrace of a warm blanket. The lights of the Christmas special on T.V danced in front of his eyes. Toy's littered the floor in front of the young boy.
Rashard's Father walked in the room. With a passing glance, he smiled at his son.
"What ya watchin', Buddy?" His father asked.
" A Santa show," his voice echoed the passive response of a nine year old enraptured by the wonders of television.
As Rashard's Father walked into the kitchen to meet with his "business partners", he leaned out to say, "Don't stay up to late, your Mama's been after me about that.." Then he disappeared.
Rashard didn't answer, eyes glued to the T.V, he didn't even think.
BANG!
The sound cut through the child's mind, just as the apartment's main door flew open.
" OBEDA!" a dark, desperate looking figure scrambled through the door. Pausing for the moment, wild eyes gazing around the room in a fevered stare.
Rashard recognized the man. He was one of his daddy's friends, that frequented the house. Young Rashard sat, scared of this man. Then he saw something.
A towel wrapped around the mans right hand.
It was soaked with what Rashard thought was red paint.
Rashard griped the warm blanket tightly, trying not to cry out in fear of this man.
His Daddy burst from the kitchen with his two business partners.
Then Rashard noticed something else that was funny. His Daddy and his friends were holding one of those things the bad guy's on T.V had.
Guns.
Rashard saw his Daddy relax at the sight of the man.
" Deproute, what's going…" Rashard heard his Father begin to say, then his daddy's eyes went down and saw the red paint too.
Just then, Rashards Father seemed to realize he was in the room.
" Rashard, go to your room..NOW!" His Daddy yelled at him.
Rashard ran as fast as he could, into his bedroom, and jumped onto his bed.
Under his blanket, he realized he hadn't closed the door, and could still hear what his Daddy was saying.
" Christ Deproute! What happened?" His Daddy yelled, fear slipping into his voice.
Then he heard the scary mans voice.
" Obeda..Obeda..look.." the man muttered. Little Rashard could almost feel the pain in the mans voice.
That's when the small boy heard a gag. Then his Fathers voice.
" Christ Rob, hold it together …Who did this to you, Deproute, Who cut off your hand?" His Father said in a more severe tone then he had ever used with young Rashard.
" He knew you, Obeda…He knew I worked for you… He said..He said it was repayment…told me to run..said to tell you..to run…" The scary mans voiced carried a dark strained chill.
" Who did, who told you this?" He heard his Fathers voice. Pleading, waiting for the answer.
"I did"
The voice scared Rashard even more. He had never heard the voice. It scraped like gravel, punched into Rashard like the accusing finger of his Mother.
That's when he heard the thunder.
BOOM!
Like a thousand storms, the sound ripped through the apartment. Tearing, and cracking, and twisting every nerve and brain cell that the young child possed. Echoing through all the child's years.
Then it stopped.
Rashard almost smiled at the silence. It was very quiet. Rashard got scared again. He didn't hear his Daddy. His little feet touched the warm floor, as he crept to the doorway. Then he stopped, he heard his Father.
" You… You … I'm gonna kill you.." His voice cold, pained echoed in the foul smelling air.
Then Rashard heard foot steps, they sounded like a lower version of the thunder.
" This is my town..MY CITY…" he heard his Father say.
BOOM!
"Not anymore.." The voice spoke, and suddenly Rashard was afraid, for his Daddy.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" He heard his Father scream in pain.
"C'mon, I got a wife…I got a boy.." He heard his Father, and Rashrd though he heard him crying.
" Did you think about them when you sent men out to kill? Did you think about those men's wives and children?" The voice carried through the air. Then the footsteps started again this time accompanied by a new, singular sound.
Ka-chink
The voice continued.
"Did you ever once think of the repercussions to your child? No, you are as selfish as your are evil. All your telling me from the life you've chosen is that all your child is worth is used as a bartering chip for your life."
" You think you can win? "His Father began to chuckle. " Theres always gonna be another Punisher… You wont stop it… They'll always be another.."
"Too bad for them… I'll always be around…"
BOOM!
Rashard stood at the doors threshold for what seemed like years, which could be light-years for a child. The slowly, Rashard walked back into his room. Finding a corner and huddling there.
That's were the police found him the next morning.